If the START Treaty and the DADT Legislation is so important, why doesn't Congress work through Christmas?

If the Democratic Congress feels that it is running out of time and the only reason that they are unable to pass important legislation is that they need to recess for Christmas, why won't the leadership take a bold step and request that they work through Christmas until the bills can be voted on?





In an environment where people are losing jobs and having problems living day to day, Congress can say that they can't pass bills because they have to spend Christmas with their families?





Is there a law saying that they must break for Christmas?|||The republicans don't want to. First because they among the first to whine about working more than normal hours. They didn't even want to work this weekend.



They also don't want to work through the holiday because it's another way to block the bills they don't want until the get the majority in the house. They don't have the guts to actually let the legally elected representatives vote on what the majority wants.



There is no law saying they have to break for anything. That's up them.



It's ridiculous to pretend these are bills being crammed through when they've been around for a long time.



The republicans don't even care if it has to do with national security like START.|||It's chiefly Republican politicians (though certainly not all of them) that I've heard who don't want to work over Christmas - this reeks of a stalling tactic to tarry until the new Congress comes in and thus kill those bills by default (bills outstanding can't be carried over into a new Congressional session).





As for procedure, there's no law that say Congress must break for Christmas - it's a procedural rule that both houses of Congress have adopted for themselves since who-knows-when.|||They knew that those, in addition to the DREAM Act, were unpopular bills, so they never attempted to address them during the two years that they held super majorities. Now it's all about political theater.|||The dems were suppose to pass the budget bill earlier this year, so it's like asking what's wrong with doing an all -nighter ... mistakes will happen.





besides this is a lame duck congress, the new congress should make the laws for now on.|||We've seen the results of legislation that is pushed through Congress without due consideration.


I would much rather see a considered vote than another bill rammed down our throats.|||Christmas IS a Federal Holiday.|||No, but the START treaty and DADT need to be passed.|||because gop into get tax break for people make million dollar year will not let then